Lesson 02 Identify Your Theoretical OrientationFrom Forte’s Forte’s An Introduction to Using Theory in Social Work Practice

 

102 Theoretical Orientation

Theoretical Orientation: Memorable Words

“While social workers ‘ought’ to have a relatively coherent, integrated theoretical base from which they work, often they are not clear or unable to specify what constitutes this base” (Beder, 2000, p. 40).

202 Theoretical Orientation

Uses and Definition of Theoretical orientation

02 Theoretical Orientation 3

Some Uses of A Theoretical Orientation

In many states, novice social workers took must prove their readiness to acquire a professional license. The test includes a written examination and a panel interview. At the panel, the candidate reads a case, articulates and defends his or her overall theoretical orientation to the case, and then responds to a range of specific case questions inquiring about the practical use of this orientation.

Many employers follow this practice of challenging candidates for a position to show at an employment interview how they would apply their preferred theories to a particular case. Besides serving as an essential guide to competent and responsible practice, a

theoretical orientation can prepare social workers for meeting licensing, employment, promotion, and other professional hurdles.

402 Theoretical Orientation

02 Theoretical Orientation 5

Theoretical Orientation and License

02 Theoretical Orientation 6

Theoretical Orientation - Definition

As a product, a theoretical orientation is an organized set of assumptions, concepts, propositions, and models used by a social work practitioner to understand the “person interacting in an environment,” explain client system problems, and guide all phases of the planned change process.

As a process, a theoretical orientation is a career-long project of organizing knowledge to understand the client system, the environment, transactions between system and environment, the change process, common challenges faced by systems, and one self as a professional.

Other names - theoretical approach,” a “theoretical framework,” a “model,” or a “perspective on practice,” or a “personal practice model.”

Theoretical Orientation: Features

A theoretical orientation may match with one theoretical tradition or the theoretical orientation may reflect a blend of multiple traditions: behavioral, cognitive, and ecological, for instance.

A theoretical orientation might be a very preliminary statement of one’s knowledge base or it may reflect extensive thinking and the careful assembly of elements.

A theoretical orientation may guide the practitioner in intentional, articulate reflections on practice choices or influence practice in automatic, unspoken ways.

02 Theoretical Orientation 7

Key Factors Influencing Theoretical Orientation

02 Theoretical Orientation 8

Professionals Develop a Theoretical Orientation Over

Time Influences include

Personal Factors and Life Experiences Self Factors (Values, Ideology, Self Concept) Influence of Role Models Formal Education Needs of Clients Requirements of the Agency Research Evidence

02 Theoretical Orientation

9

Theoretical Orientation: Personal influences

Personal factors include family of origin, your reference groups, your personal role models (significant others, celebrities, characters in fiction and film, and so on), your philosophy of life, your values, and your personality style.

02 Theoretical Orientation 10

Personal Influences: Illustrations-Personality

Personality characteristics including style of thinking (complexity, emphasis on rationality); degree of initiative (on the continuum from active to passive); enjoyment of creative and imaginative processes; value assigned to dreams, emotions, intuition, and insight; inclinations toward empiricism, and comfort with assertiveness are variables that may dispose you toward some theoretical orientations and away from others. For example, behaviorist practitioners tend to like empirical research

and want to take an active stance toward helping others while psychodynamic practitioners are often people who appreciate the complexity of the psyche and believe that emotions, dreams, and intuition are critical elements in the human experience.

02 Theoretical Orientation 11

Personal Influences: Illustrations-Personality-Values

Our personal values may clash with the core assumptions of a theoretical tradition, and we reject it (or the reverse may happen)

We may affirm in our beliefs and actions the value of “self-determination,” and feel that a social structural or Marxist theoretical framework’s assumption of the conditioning power of political and economic forces clashes with this value. In contrast, an activist political orientation might attract us to neo-Marxist or empowerment theoretical traditions that espouse “taking sides” and fighting for social change.

Likewise, certain theoretical orientations resonate with our self-concept. Others don’t resonate.

02 Theoretical Orientation 12

Personal Influences: Illustrations-Family

A practitioner’s earlier experiences with his or her family of origin, with a spouse or partner, and with significant others can influence the choice of preferred. My father’s abandonment of our family and neglect of his

obligations disposed me to feminist theories, for instance.

02 Theoretical Orientation 13

Personal Influences: Illustrations-Culture

Our cultural heritage has an impact on our theoretical allegiances. My immersion in Catholic organizations during a period of

violence and molestation of young people and stifling of dissent has led to ambivalence to faith-based approaches.

It may be that my experiences as an Italian-American deepened my appreciation for theories that assign importance to family, group, and communication and my distaste for highly individualistic theories.

02 Theoretical Orientation 14

Theoretical Orientation: Professional Socialization

Socialization experiences include interaction with professional role models (teachers, colleagues, mentors, and supervisors), experiences in the classroom (psychology, sociology, biology, economics, and related classes), and participation in workshops and continuing education events.

02 Theoretical Orientation 15

Professional Socialization: Illustrations-Mentors

A respected mentor, or a valued supervisor, colleague, teacher, or friend may increase our passion for a particular theoretical tradition or persuasively disparage our theoretical framework prompting us to consider a shift in our theoretical allegiances.

During my doctoral studies, I had the fortune of meeting an applied sociologist devoted to symbolic interactionism, He became a very influential model and I have incorporated symbolic interactionism into the central place in my own orientation.

02 Theoretical Orientation 16

Professional Socialization: Illustrations-Supervisors

You may be assigned to a supervisor with a passion for a particular theoretical tradition (Feminist Social Work or Cognitive-Behavioral Social Work, for examples). The supervisor’s enthusiasm and expertise stimulates your

interest and you develop a special appreciation for his or her theoretical orientation.

You even begin to use your supervisor as a model for applying the theory or theories.

A theoretical framework that we adopt early in our career may be confirmed or augmented by a respected mentor.

Or a valued supervisor, colleague, teacher, or friend may persuasively disparage our theoretical framework prompting us to consider a shift in our theoretical allegiances.

02 Theoretical Orientation 17

Theoretical Orientation: Organizational Influences

The characteristics and dynamics of our workplace (and field internships) strongly influence our professional socialization including our development of theoretical preferences.

Relevant workplace factors include the agency mission and goals, the agency funding, the agency training emphases, the agency reward structure, and agency access to equipment, supplies, and other resources.

02 Theoretical Orientation 18

Professional Socialization: Illustrations-Agency

Organizational requirements related to the organizations where the practitioner has worked or volunteered may influence the practitioners’ choice of theoretical framework(s). If the agency has a tight budget, then the worker may not be

able to adopt an orientation that requires extensive post- graduate training, expensive equipment, or the use of high-paid consultants.

If the agency is a community center providing most services through small groups, then the worker may be expected to adopt a humanistic, mainstream group work approach.

02 Theoretical Orientation 19

Professional Socialization: Illustrations-Status

Our choice of a theory or theories is also influenced by status considerations. Issues of professional advancement, increases in salary, and the regard of agency and community leaders are relevant. Psychodynamic social work became very popular in the middle of

the twentieth century and a way to enhance status. The demonstration of an allegiance to a theoretical framework

preferred by the organization’s elite members increases our access to and opportunities within their agency and social network.

The choice of a particular theoretical foundation may be valued locally (a family strengths and preservation model, for example) and increase our credibility and stature as a professional in the agency’s surrounding neighborhood if we endorse the approach.

02 Theoretical Orientation 20

Theoretical Orientation: Client Characteristics

Characteristics of our typical clients influence our development of a theory base. These include client needs, problems and challenges, client membership features (age, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and so on), and service users’ stated preferences regarding theory indicated in agency evaluation data, focus groups, or informal conversations

02 Theoretical Orientation 21

Client Characteristics: Illustrations-Evidence

Evidence-based social workers consider the research documenting the suitability and effectiveness of particular practice theories with particular clients with particular problems. They may add behavioral and /or cognitive

approaches to their orientations because of extensive empirical support for their applications.

02 Theoretical Orientation 22

Client Characteristics: Illustrations-Preferences

Clients may provide direct feedback that a particular theory, theory-based conceptualization, or theory-specific intervention suits them well or doesn’t seem to help. Professionals should adjust their theoretical orientations accordingly.

Each client brings his or her informal “theory of change,” an everyday theory, to the helping encounter. If we act inflexibly from a theoretical orientation alien to the client or contrary to his or her everyday theory, then we are showing disrespect and we are undermining our ability to help.

02 Theoretical Orientation 23

12 Strategies for Developing a Theoretical Orientation

02 Theoretical Orientation 24

Developing a Theoretical Orientation: Strategies (Know Yourself)*

1. Think deeply and often about who you are a person and how this might best influence who you become as a theory-informed practitioner.

2, Reflect on your core personal values and become familiar with social work values. Reflect on how values will influence your theory choices.

3. Think about your family and cultural heritage and the enduring dispositions you development that you will bring to practice.

*This list of strategies is a modified and expanded version of those provided by Halbur and Halbur (2014) Developing your theoretical orientation in counseling and psychotherapy (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

02 Theoretical Orientation 25

Developing a Theoretical Orientation: Strategies (Learn about Many Theories)

4. Summarize your personal and professional preferences and revise this summary often as you learn more about who you are.

5. Become familiar with a range of explanatory and practice theories that might be incorporated into your theoretical orientation. Listen in class, read articles and books, view relevant videos. Learn about research and practice wisdom too potentially useful in your

career (will be reviewed in Lesson 12 on Integrative Multi-Theory Personal Practice Models)

6. Identify role models, interest groups within the social work profession, and educational workshops. Use these explore new theory elements that might be incorporated into your orientation.

02 Theoretical Orientation 26

Developing a Theoretical Orientation: Strategies (Develop Preliminary Orientation)

7. Learn about social workers in other countries and with different membership identifications, which theories they use and which theories they reject. Improve your theoretical orientation by comparison with these diverse others.

8. Begin monitoring your theory-informed helping work and then process what you said and did and consider evidence to judge how well or poorly the helping work demonstrated your theoretical orientation.

9. Connect your theoretical orientation experiments to the organizational context and consider what fits well and what doesn’t fit. Start imaging your preferred workplace, clientele, client challenges and so on, and consider what theoretical orientation will be useful in light of these parameters.

02 Theoretical Orientation 27

Developing a Theoretical Orientation: Strategies (Refine, Refine, Refine)

10. Try out various theory-informed engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation tools and make judgments about which fit best with your personal and professional professionals

11. Become a student of a mentor who is expert in a particular theoretical approach.

12. Write a summary of your theoretical orientation and seek feedback from a supervisor, theory expert, and advanced practitioner. Do this again every year or so.

See Forte’s Table 02.1: Overview of 14 Theories Comprising PIE Metatheory, a supplemental resource, for a current summary of my orientation.

02 Theoretical Orientation 28

Jim Forte, HimselfJim Forte, Himself

02 Theoretical Orientation 29

30

For Forte’s Complete Lesson 01 and Related Lessons Check Out

02 Theoretical Orientation

About Jim Forte

Forte is professor, author of 4 books & 41 articles, and presenter at international, national, & regional conferences. Teaching human behavior classes for 16 years, Forte recently published the books An Introduction to Using Theory & Skills for Using Theory. As practitioner, Jim worked with the elderly in a community center, served as clubhouse group worker for persons with mental health challenges, and led a program for criminal offenders. Awards include Outstanding VA Social Work Educator, Outstanding Teaching-CNU, NASW-MD Social Work Educator of the Year, & SU Distinguished Faculty.jaforte@salisbury.edu or jamesforte@mac.com, http://jamesaforte.com (Forte’s website & free resources)

02 Theoretical Orientation 31

Forte’s Free Teaching Resources

I am creating supplemental resources for my two new books. By chapter, these include a chapter outline, a PowerPoint (expanding on chapter content), a list of key terms, and supplemental items (lists, tables, and on for some chapters). As I finish resources for additional chapters this semester (Spring, 2016, I will upload them).

To access these resources (Sort by name to see them in order) For Skills for Using Theory in Social Work, go

https://app.box.com/s/qyxx9sgmfb79w3o1r77gt2iy9wtl849a For An introduction to Using Theory in Social Work Practice, go to

https://app.box.com/s/9mokwnm35h7rcd77fhd57kuf1mjqz3vt

3202 Theoretical Orientation